MLCN charter brings new business and employment opportunities

EFN Staff | February 07, 2020

Providing employment to its members is the goal of a northern community signing a business charter.

The Montreal Lake Cree Nation (MLCN) Chief and Council signed a business charter in a special ceremony. The business charter developed by MLCN is a governance document between the MLCN and their economic and business development arm, Montreal Lake Business Ventures.

MLCN Chief Frank Robert stated in a prepared statement that this agreement is an exciting step that will benefit their community for years to come.

“Our goal is to build wealth and provide employment opportunities for our people. This business charter is an agreement that outlines how we want to do that, and exactly what everyone’s roles and responsibilities are,” said Chief Robert in a release. “It allows leadership to concentrate on matters of importance to our community members and provides stability for our economic development activities that often takes time to develop. I am excited to [have signed] this business charter because I believe it is a very positive step toward the long-term objective of wealth sovereignty for Montreal Lake Cree Nation.”

The business charter is one of the recommendations made by the Harvard Project for Nation Building which is a 20+ year study that aims to understand and foster the conditions under which sustained, self-determined social and economic development is achieved among Indigenous communities through applied research and service.

“One of the principals of the Harvard Project is that a successful business charter reflects the values and culture of the First Nation,” said Robert Fincati, CEO of Montreal Lake Business Ventures. “We’ve been working on this agreement for several years to ensure it meets the needs of Montreal Lake while strengthening business activities, and I think we’ve achieved that successfully. The business charter creates stability and certainty for Montreal Lake Business Ventures and our business partners. I am very excited about this step in Montreal Lake Business Venture’s history, and I look forward to continuing this work in the future.”

According to the release, Montreal Lake Business Ventures has already implemented many of the recommendations in the Charter. However, there is more work to do to complete the recommendations identified by the Harvard Project.

“Like many in business, we’ve had successful ventures and some unsuccessful ventures, and we’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way,” stated Montreal Lake Business Ventures Board Chair, Noland Henderson. “As a result, we have already done some of the governance work outlined in the document, such as recruiting strong, experienced business leaders on our board of directors. I look forward to working with management, Chief and Council, and my fellow board members in the roles we have identified to further work building wealth and employment opportunities for the people of Montreal Lake Cree Nation.”